Hard to Get
by hallowgirlfrommars
Summary: "It's when Castiel gets them thrown out of a bar that Dean knows things have got out of hand." Dean's going to get to the bottom of why Castiel's ignoring him, even if it takes a fight. And Sam's just trying to avoid seeing anything between them that could leave him mentally scarred. Destiel.


**Another Destiel fic. Leave a review if you like it. :)**

When Castiel almost gets them thrown out of a bar, Dean knows things have got out of hand.

But that's not where things start getting out of hand. No, things start getting out of hand days before, and Dean wishes he'd managed to get out of Cas just what the hell's going on before it got to them being flung into the street by a pissed-off bouncer, with Cas's nose bleeding and Sam glancing between them, looking confused as hell.

But it really starts a few days before, when they're walking out of the motel, Sam ahead, heading for the Impala, and Cas's fingers intertwined with Dean's, the angel's eyes focused on heaven, as if he could read the thoughts of his brothers up there.

Dean had glanced at his angel next to him, and then slung his arm around his shoulders, pulling Cas's head in to rest against his. "You OK?" he'd murmured, his lips brushing Cas's neck, revelling in this brief skin to skin contact.

He knows Cas likes it, feels Cas shiver with pleasure. But a second later, the angel pulls away, his eyes suddenly colder, and for a moment, his arms wrap around himself, as if the temperature has dropped.

"I am fine, Dean" he says, with a slight edge to his voice. He quickens his pace a little, moving ahead and leaving Dean to stop where he is and stare after him.

He speeds up, thinking to grab Cas and ask him what the hell that was about. But by the time they reach the car, Sam's already turned back to tell them where their next hunt's taking place, and Cas is climbing into the backseat and the moment to ask him's gone.

And when Castiel acts like Castiel for the rest of the day, Dean forgets about it anyway.

But that's the first time he realises something's not right.

* * *

The second time is when they're in a diner and Castiel has been staring out of the window for several minutes when the plates arrive.

The waitress gives Cas an overbright smile and Dean catches Sam's eye-whenever Cas receives any attention, he inevitably completely ignores it or stares at Dean, bemused, until Dean slides an arm around his shoulders and presses his lips to the side of Cas's head, with a grin at whoever's trying their luck to show them the angel's taken.

But tonight, Castiel turns and overtly beams at the waitress, who returns the grin. Dean feels his jaw drop open, as the waitress turns away, letting her eyes linger on Castiel for a second longer than necessary.

Sam, who doesn't appear to have noticed anything unusual, looks at Cas, who as usual, hasn't ordered anything. "Want some, Cas?" He offers Cas his plate of fries and Castiel reaches for one cautiously with a "Thank you" offered quietly to Sam.

Dean looks at his-boyfriend? Angel boyfriend? They really need to agree on a name-and offers his own plate. "Don't just nick Sammy's."

But Castiel stares at the plate for a troubled moment and then lifts his eyes back to Dean's. "I am fine, thank you, Dean."

Dean is mid-way through biting into a burger, but nearly lets his jaw drop open anyway. Sam too hesitates, his eyes flickering between the angel and his brother, brow creased with confusion.

But Castiel simply stares at the table and refuses to meet Dean's eyes. Dean swallows, opens his mouth to say something-then, catching Sam's eye across the table, shoves the burger between his teeth again. If Cas gets annoyed, there's a chance he'll just blink out and the last thing Dean wants is to go through another week of not knowing where the hell the angel even is.

Castiel is quiet for the rest of the evening, but he slides his hand into Dean's on the way out of the restaurant, prompting a disappointed look from the waitress.

* * *

It's two nights later, though, that things get kind of out of hand.

Dean slides into bed next to Cas, the way he always does, and leans over, sliding his hand into the angel's hair. The two of them have been getting their own hotel room lately-Dean wondered if Sam would bitch about the extra cost, but Sam assured his brother he couldn't be happier that he and Cas were in a separate room, as long as they made sure they were at least three floors away from him, because he didn't need more nightmares.

Dean brushes his lips against Castiel's neck, and that's when he feels Cas tense all over. He leans back, eyes narrowed, as Castiel pulls away.

"I do not feel like that tonight, Dean" he says, and his voice is lower than usual.

Dean stares at him. "Cas?" he says, because this is about way more than not wanting sex, and he's damned if he's going to let Cas go to sleep without telling him what the problem is.

But Castiel is lying with his back to him, the duvet drawn up tight around his shoulders. "I said I do not feel like that, tonight, Dean."

Dean stares at him for a moment. "Cas?"

"I do not feel like talking, Dean." Castiel's voice is almost a whisper now. "I feel..." He seems to be sensing his way through the words, as though this is uncharted territory. Which, reflects Dean, it probably is.

He opens his mouth but a second later, Castiel wraps his arms around himself and has buried his face in the pillow. "Please, Dean" he says and it is the "Please" that makes Dean roll over and turn out the light without another word.

He stares at the ceiling in the dark. _Cas...Cas, you've gotta-Cas, you've got to talk to me-you've got to tell me what's going on-come on, you son of a bitch, just tell me what's going on-_

He half hopes Cas can hear. But the angel next to him doesn't move and eventually, Dean lets his eyes close, his mind still flooded with unanswered questions.

* * *

Things are even weirder the next day.

"What do you think, Cas?" Dean asks, over his shoulder. The two haven't spoken all morning, with Sam darting puzzled looks between them, and occasionally raising a questioning eyebrow at Dean, but Dean has ignored all of his brother's hints to tell him what's going on between him and Cas. Especially since _he_ doesn't know what's going on between him and Cas.

But the words slip out automatically, and he glances back at the angel. He doesn't know what Cas is so pissed at him about, but he's pretty freaking sure he's not going to let it get in the way of them working a case together. He looks at the angel, stares at him, but Castiel keeps his gaze resolutely fixed out of the window.

"_Cas."_ Dean raises his voice, practically leans back into the seat, so there can be no doubt that the angel is hearing him. Sam winces, darts an anxious look at the road. "Dean-"

But Dean's had enough, and this time he leans back far enough that his face is literally inches from Castiel's. "_Cas!"_

Still, the angel stares out of the window. No words, no flickers of the eyes, no reaction. Just dead silence.

"_Dean!"_ Sam reaches across his brother and his hands close around the wheel, as the Impala swerves across the road.

Dean turns back but Sam's already got the car back under control. He takes the wheel back without another glance at Castiel, but he can feel Sam's eyes on him, and he grits his teeth and stares straight ahead, warning his brother silently not to ask him what's wrong.

* * *

It takes approximately fifteen minutes for Sam to ignore Dean's silent warning and ask his brother what's wrong.

"So, what's up with you and Cas?" is how his brother chooses to lead in and Dean grits his teeth. Given Sam's the one who goes on about being sensitive and talking about things and other stuff that belongs in a chick flick, he thinks his brother could develop more tact.

He settles for a shrug as he leans back against the car. He tilts the bottle to his mouth, feels the liquid burn his throat.

Sam watches. "Dude, seriously. Eleven am?" When Dean shrugs again in answer, Sam lowers his voice, with a quick glance around. Cas has blinked out to gather more information about the area, but Sam's eyes are still darting back and forth as if afraid he'll be overheard. "Seriously, Dean, what's going on between you and Cas?"

Dean lowers the bottle, turns and looks at his brother. "I don't know."

Sam rolls his eyes and Dean holds up his hands. "No, seriously, I don't know. He won't talk."

"He won't talk?" Sam squints at his brother, as if wondering if he's misunderstood the words.

Dean shakes his head. "He won't talk. To me."

Sam's nodding his head. "Did you guys have a fight?"

Dean shakes his head again. "No. You try to talk to him about it, dude blinks out on you, it's like living in freaking Oz."

Sam sighs, folds his arms. "You've got to keep trying, then."

Dean lifts the bottle again. "Spare me the psychology crap, Sammy, I already tried that. Every time I ask does he want to talk, he tells me no."

Sam pushes a hand across his hair. "Then, you're going to have to tell him you want to talk."

Dean snorts. "Yeah, and have him zap off to freaking Alaska." He means it to come out light, sarcastic, but his voice won't work properly and it comes out as heavy, the words edged with something, something that makes Sam turn to stare at his brother for a moment.

"Dean-" he starts but right then is when Cas appears out of thin air in front of them, and the conversation is effectively ended.

* * *

After a day spent exorcizing a terrified fourteen-year-old, disposing of a Oujia board and returning the priest outfits, Castiel's no longer the biggest problem on Dean's mind. He's exhausted, the day filled with a crying teenager, and parents' faces, and black smoke, and the knowledge that that's someone else saved, someone else who'll have a life, but a life in which they'll never forget what happened, never totally let go of the images of today, fragmented and splintered though they'll become. Tonight, the only thing on his mind is hitting the nearest bar.

Or at least it is, until Castiel sits on the bar stool and starts trying to chat up the guy next to him.

The guy next to him who is not Dean.

It takes Dean a few seconds to work out the scene that is, honest to God, taking place in front of his eyes and then Sam digs him in the ribs, right as Castiel is making eye contact with the guy on his left, who looks about twice Dean's height and is draped in a leather jacket, looking more like a delinquent stereotype than Dean would have thought it possible to look.

"Hello" Castiel is saying to the stranger.

The guy's smashed, which Dean sees straight away and he's about to reach out to pull Castiel away, and ask why the hell the angel has decided to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.

The guy grunts and then turns away. Dean turns to look at Sam, bemused, and then stares at Cas. "Cas, er-" he begins, wondering what the hell Cas is seeing in this guy.

But then Cas makes the whole situation pretty clear by leaning against the other guy's shoulder, head on one hand-in a pose Dean recognizes as one he himself has done plenty of times-and says "Would you be interested in accompanying me to a movie?"

Sam chokes on his beer. Actually, physically chokes, so the entire bar is sprayed with drink. Usually, Dean would be helping his brother but tonight, he's occupied with sliding off his stool, slamming a hand onto Cas's shoulder and demanding "What the _hell_?"

But the guy Cas has been talking to pays no attention to Dean, instead turning to stare at Cas and demanding "Are you asking me on a fucking _date?"_

Cas seems to consider. Dean's fingers bite into his shoulder. "Cas, don't answer, let's just go-"

Cas turns to the stranger with a beatific smile. "Yes."

There's a split second of silence during which Dean curses under his breath, Sam stares and the girls behind the bar just watch, wide-eyed. Then the stranger moves.

"You _freak"_ he says and then his fist slams into Castiel's face.

There's a bit of scuffle then, which is made more complicated by the fact Dean has already leapt in between the two and is throwing the stranger off the stool whilst Sam's dragged Castiel back. Dean's dimly aware of Castiel and Sam yelling his name and of his own fist slamming into the other guy's face, but it's not until there's arms lifting him into the air that he realises the bouncer's turned up and that this is one bar they won't be coming back to.

It's a few seconds before they end up in the street, Cas sporting a bleeding nose, and Sam and Dean supporting him. Though Dean's more in the mood to punch him.

"OK" he says, and he lets go of Cas on one side, causing the angel to slump over. "OK. What the hell's going on?"

Dean has the feeling this is where Cas would blink out but the fact that he's still leaning on Sam's arm for support ends that course of action.

"Talk to me" Dean says, stepping in front of the angel and staring into his eyes. "Tell me what the hell's going on. Because, trust me, Cas-" He drags a hand through his hair and forces himself to lock eyes with the angel. "Trust me, when you're with some guy, you don't go and try to hook up with another guy. OK?"

Castiel takes a step back, still using Sam's arm to steady himself, and stares at Dean. "I was not trying to-" He frowns. "Hook up" he says slowly, with a look at Dean as if he fears for the man's intellect. "With anyone else."

Dean stares. "Then what the hell was that?"

Castiel looks away and does not answer. Dean presses his hands to either side of his head.

"Look" he says, after a moment. "What's going on, Cas? What's been going on the last few days?"

Castiel stutters. "I don't know what you-"

"You know what, spare me the bull." Dean steps forward so that his face is inches from Cas's. "You've been acting weird for days. Ignoring me, looking away from me, we haven't even had sex for-"

Sam coughs, clears his throat and begins to stare in the opposite direction.

Dean steps nearer to Cas, his hands on Cas's shoulders. "You've got to talk to me. You've got to tell me what's going on, Cas. Cas, look at me." He waits until the angel raises his eyes unwillingly to Dean's. "Tell me what's wrong."

Castiel stares at him, his eyes wavering, uncertain, then drops his gaze. "It wasn't meant to be like this" he says, after a moment. "I didn't intend for this to happen."

Dean blinks. "For what to happen?" He's struck by a sudden realization. "Is it the-being with me thing?" He swallows. "Is it-I don't know-the sex thing? Is that-freaking you out?"

Behind him, Sam has begun to hum quietly in the back of his throat.

"'Cos if you want to, we can-" Dean tries not to be distracted by the sound of Sam's humming growing increasingly louder. "We can cut it out for a bit. We can cut out the sex." Like hell does Dean want to, but it'll be worth it if it'll get Cas to talk.

Cas, however, shakes his head. "I have no wish to-" He frowns again. "Cut out the sex" he says slowly. "I enjoy that part very much."

At this, there's a sharp movement behind them and Dean turns to see Sam sticking his fingers in his ears.

He turns back to Castiel. "Then what is it?" he says, his voice lower now. "What's wrong? Talk to me, Cas." He waits, his eyes on the angel's.

Castiel sighs and avoids Dean's gaze. His eyes remain on his shoes as he mutters "It was meant to have a more positive effect than this." Droplets of blood are still falling from his nose as he talks and lifting his sleeve, Dean begins wiping at Cas's face for him.

"What was?" he says, now that Cas can talk more coherently.

Castiel sighs, looks around, then at Dean. "I read about it" he says, voice a little louder now. "It is a technique, designed to keep your partner's interest. They call it playing hard to get. Though it does seem to have other names, such as "Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen-"" He trails off at the sight of the look on Dean's face.

Dean's jaw has dropped open. "You-" He clears his throat. "You've been playing hard to get?"

Castiel nods. "I've been attempting to. Though I'm not sure I did everything correctly. The article specified such tips as to avoid appearing too keen in conversations, to show attention to other people-"

Dean remembers Castiel staring out the window whenever he tried to talk to him. The constant turning away whenever Dean looked at him.

He looks at Cas. "Where the hell did you read this?"

Castiel looks back at him. "I believe the name of the magazine might have been Cosmo."

For a second, Dean's torn between a desire to burst out laughing, which he guesses might not be a good option given the look of confusion spreading across Castiel's face, and the urge to throw his arms around the angel's neck, and either hug him or punch him. But instead, he lets one hand come up to cup Castiel's cheek.

"Why-" he mutters, moving close so that his eyes are only an inch from Cas's. "Did you think you needed to play hard to get with me?" His thumb grazes Cas's jaw. "We're already together. Why'd you think you needed to do that?"

Castiel's eyes dart away, and then back again. "You have seemed...distant lately. I thought perhaps if I changed my behaviour towards you, it would...keep your interest."

Dean stares at him. "Keep my-" He has to swallow for a second. "Keep my interest?"

Castiel nods. "Yes."

Dean nods. He stares at Cas for a second. Then, he slides his arms around the back of Castiel's neck and crushes his mouth against the angel's, tongue sliding out to part Castiel's lips before the angel can take another breath.

Behind them, Sam, hearing no sound at all, apparently decides it is safe to remove his fingers. He lowers his hands and turns round, to see his brother with his tongue shoved down an angel's throat and promptly slams his hands back over his ears, walks to the side of the bar, and stands with his head pressed firmly against the wall.

It's a few moments before Dean pulls back. Castiel is blinking bemusedly, staring at Dean with that strange, faintly dreamy expression he wore the first time Dean kissed him, that same one that sends heat rushing through Dean's veins, and at the same time fills him with a desperate, almost aching tenderness, a longing to reach out, to touch, to hold.

"Listen to me" he says, his voice husky in his throat now, his fingers brushing Castiel's jaw. "You do not have to try to keep my interest, OK?"

Castiel blinks. Dean leans closer to him. "Because you are not going to lose my interest. OK?"

Castiel is staring at Dean and there's a light in his eyes now, a strange, blazing look that makes Dean feel as though there's fire creeping slowly through his veins. He cups Castiel's chin in one hand, whispers the truth into the angel's mouth. "I want you, OK? You." He looks at Castiel, looks into his eyes. The words almost tremble on his lips. "Now get over here and kiss me."

Castiel obliges almost before Dean has finished speaking. Castiel's mouth is on his, hot and warm and it's only when Dean feels warmth on his nose that he pulls away to lift his hand and finds the fingers stained red.

"We need to get you cleaned up" he says and this time when he slides an arm around Castiel's shoulders, the angel doesn't pull away.

Sam finally turns away from the wall and walks with them now that the kissing's apparently over-at least, temporarily. He steps up beside them in time to see Dean lower his mouth to Castiel's ear and whisper "The second we get you cleaned up, I'm getting you dirty again."

Sam sees Castiel's brow crease in confusion but by then he's got his hands back over his ears.

* * *

It's later when Castiel's head's lying on his chest that Dean lets his thumb dance under the angel's hair and whispers "You don't need to play hard to get, Cas."

Castiel looks at him, those eyes still hazy with pleasure. "I'm sorry, De-"

Dean shakes his head and trails his fingers over Cas's skin. "You don't need to-magazine trick me or whatever." He bends lower, so his mouth brushes Castiel's, gently, breathing him in. "I'm here, OK?" He pulls Castiel's head up to rest on his chest, watches the angel's eyes flicker as sleep wreaths his face.

Dean lets his head fall back against the pillow. "I'm here" he whispers, and he hopes it worms it's way inside Cas's head somehow, that he doesn't need to play hard to get, that he doesn't ever need to worry about Dean looking the other way. He presses another kiss to the angel's hair, lets his own eyes close.

A picture fills his mind-Sam, earlier, glancing at them both as they returned to their hotel rooms. The image of Sam, shooting them a pained look as he counted the floors in the elevator between his room and their room. The pointed look Sam gave them as he bade them goodnight, the gesture to the walls as he asked them not to break the hotel, it'd probably be too expensive to fix. The long-suffering look Sammy threw them over his shoulder, as he headed for the hotel room, with a pair of earbuds trailing over his arm.

Dean closes his eyes in the dark, Cas's head on his shoulder, and grins.

**Hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review! :)**


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